these holidays

are operated by Snow Safari Ltd specialist tour operator in the Alps since 1989

Hike 4 - Zermatt, Lötschentental, Chamonix & Annecy - harder

3 nights in Zermatt in the hotel of your choice.
4 nights in the Chalet Savoy (hot tub, sauna, wifi).
Visiting France, and Switzerland
Five days of guided hiking led by International Mountain Leader.
Grade: harder. Click here for and easier version.
Small groups of maximum 8.

ITINERARY:

SUNDAY: Included mid afternoon transfer from Geneva airport to Täsch (2 hours drive) from where we take the short train ride up to car free Zermatt. Guests proceed to their chosen hotel and after they have taken dinner we meet for a quick drink and a short briefing on our programme.

MONDAY: Weather permitting, we will have spectacular Matterhorn views throughout our Zermatt stay. We ride the famous Gornergrat railway to 3089 metres. Time to absorb one of the greatest alpine vistas before starting our epic descent. Our walk takes us by the impressive "Gletschergarten" and on to Füri (1867 metres). From here there is an option to ride the gondol lift back to Zermatt (1620 metres). Some may choose to continue descending on foot into Zermatt.following the Tour of the Monta Rosa trail.

TUESDAY: We ride the cable car to the dramatic Schwarzsee lake (2583 metres) then descend to Stafel (2199 metres) We commence our climb to the Schönbiel Hut (2694 metres) This stunning hike has it all: unbeatable views to the Matterhorn north wall, excellent views to most of Zermatt's other big mountains. There are wildflowers, wildlife, and a real wilderness feel to most of the trail. Our descent back to Zermatt brings us to a dramatic "balcony" trail with a bird's eye view down to the old wooden village lf Zmutt.

WEDNESDAY: After breakfast we ride the train back down to Täsch and drive an hour to the top of the wonderful Lötschental Valley. We set off on our circular walk from the campsite cafe (1763) metres cliimbing to the small Guggisee Lake (2007 metres) finally reaching the Anen Hütte (2358 metres) offering a stunning panorama of tth "Langgletscher" glacier. We descend via the Grurndsee Lake and drive 1 1/2 hours to Les Houches for an included dinner in the Chalet Savoy which will be our base for the remainder of the holiday.

THURSDAY: Free day. Explore Chamonix, take a train ride to the museums in Martigny in Switzerland along with the St. Bernard dog museum and Roman arena. Or perhaps an exciting tandem paragliding ride (breakfast included).
FRIDAY: Many of our gests wil have already visited us in Chamonix. We will chose a route that our group members have not done before. There is a tremendous choice of hikes available in the Chamonix area. (breakkfast, picnic lunch and dinner included)

SATURDAY: A 1 1/4 hours drive brings us to in our opinion the most beautiful town in France, Annecy, often called the Venice of the Alps. We park in the forest above the town and climb to the steep ridge dominating the northern section of the lake. Exploration of Mont Veyrier and Mont Byron provides panoramic view points of the lake. After lunch and a wander in the old town of Annecy we drive along the lake for another climb to view the mouth of the lake from Cret du Bourg above Duingt. We drive home via the spectacular Arly Gorge passing the picturesque resort of Megeve. (breakkfast, picnic lunch and dinner included